Steam surface condenser.



PATENI'ED MAR. 10, 1903.

J. R. RICHMOND. STEAM SUBJFACEv CONDENSER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 11, 1902.

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, PATBNTED MAR. 10, 1903. J. R. RICHMOND. STEAM SURFACE CONDENSER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 11, 1902.

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WITNESSES.

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PATENTED MAR. 10, 1903.

No. 722,628. J. R. RICHMOND.

STEAM SURFACE CONDENSER.

, APPLICATION FILED JULY 11, 1902. N0 MODEL. 3 SHEETS-SHEET s.

I WITNESSES. v //V|/L /VTOR UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN RITCHIE RICHMOND, GLASGOW, SCOTLAND.

STEAM SURFACE CONDENSER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 722,628, dated March10, 1903.

Application filed July 11,1902, Serial No. 115,207. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN RITCHIE RICH- MOND, a subject of His Majestythe King of Great Britain, residing at Glasgow, Scotland, have inventeda new and useful Improvement in Steam Surface Condensers, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in steam surface condensers, moreparticularly to those taking their supply of circulating or coolingwater from rivers, ponds, or the like, where considerable difficulty isfrequently experienced,owing to mud, leaves, or other foreign substancesbeing drawn into the supplypassages and partially,if notentirely,choking same, and to marine condensers, where the samedisadvantages are frequently experienced from the action of sea-weed orother marine growths, the object of the invention being to overcome suchdisadvantages by providing means for enabling the flow of circulating orcooling water to be reversed as desired, whereby growths,rubbish,and thelike may be easily and automatically removed from the passages andtubes.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate my invention, Figure 1 isa front elevation of a condenser constructed according to one form of myinvention. Fig. 2 is a plan thereof, partly in section, on line y y,Fig. 3; and Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line 00 00, Fig. 1.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

It will be understood that I do not limit the application of myinvention to any particular form of condenser; but in the drawingslhaveshown a condenser substantially similar to the one forming thesubject-matter of my copending application, Serial No. 115,206, filedJuly 11, 1902, and which consists of a vertical cylinder having achamber t' at its upper end and a chamber at the base, the latter beingdivided into two compartments d and 6, each again partially divided byvertical diaphragms m m. Communication is obtained between thecompartments d e and chamber '5 by means of two series ofcondensing-tubes (one series, g g, being shown in Fig. 3) arranged in achamber 19. At or near the base of the condenser are arranged twocirculating-pumps B and C, capable of independent action and each havingcommunication with one of the compartments d or e of .the lower chamberby suitable connections I) 0, respectively, with the flanged months 17,n. The steam enters the condenser by means of a pipe 0, which passesthrough chamber t' and extends down some way into the interior of thechamber 19 and carries a baffle-plate Z at its inner end, a secondbaflie-plate it being secured to the wall of the chamberp at a suitabledistance above the plate Z to compel the steam to take a course asindicated by the arrows in Fig. 3. The Water of condensation passes outby a suitable outlet in the central passage 8.

The operation of the part of the apparatus to which the presentinvention relates is as follows: The circulating or cooling water drawnfrom any suitable supply by, say, the .pump C is forced through the pipe0 into the c0mpartment e of the lower chamber, the partition mequalizing the rush of water over the chamber. The water then risesthrough the series of tubes 9 9 above the compartment 6 into the chamber2', from whence it passes down the second series of tubes parallel tothe series 9 9 into the compartment 6, and so through the pipe I) andpump B, the latter assisting the movement of the liquid through thecondenser, so that an efficient circulation is attained. If now theaction of the pumps is reversed, the flow will be reversed and thepassages, tubes, and other parts will have the rubbish and like foreignmatter collected on or in them removed.

It will be evident that instead of passing through the second pump thewater may be discharged through a separate outlet; but the action ofthis second pump is beneficial in assisting the flow, or the directionof flow may be reversed in other ways-say, for example, by employing asingle pump, which by means of suitable valves (or by a two -way valve)and connections may be caused to direct the flow in either direction, asis required by the condition of the interior of the apparatus.

What I claim is- 1. The combination with a steam surface condenser ofmeans for providing a continuous flow of cooling waterin one directiontherethrough and means for reversing the direction of such flow for thepurpose set forth.

2. The combination with a steam surface condenser of independentcirculating-pumps for providing a continuous flow of cooling wa terthrough same in reverse directions as desired for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination with a steam surface condenser having water passagestherethrough, of means for circulating a flow of cooling-water in onedirection through said water-passages and alternately in the oppositedirection therethrough for cleaning said passages of foreign substances.

4. The combination with a steam surface condenser having water passagestherethrough, of means comprising independent passages of foreignsubstances.

5. The combination with a steam surfacecondenserofseparatecooling-waterchambers, a connection from the exteriorinto each,

means for providing a continuous flow of Water into one chamber and outat the other and means for reversing the direction of such flow wherebythe connection into each chamber is alternately an inlet and an outletsubstantially as described.

6. The combination with a steam surface condenser having water passagestherethrough, of means for circulating a flow of cooling-water in onedirection through said water-passages and alternately in the oppositedirection therethrough for cleaning said passages of foreign substances,said means comprising independent circulating-pumps alternately coactingas inlet and discharge pumps.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

JOHN RITCHIE RICHMOND.

Witnesses:

JOHN CRAIG, JAMES D. IMRIE.

